Brad Marchand‘s contract has been a sizzling matter of dialogue these days. Throughout the Boston Bruins’ 4-3 time beyond regulation win towards the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman talked about that Marchand and the Bruins had been nearing a three-year contract extension to maintain the captain in Boston. This report was refuted shortly after the sport with Marchand stating that this data was false.
“Elliotte likes speaking about me this week,” mentioned Marchand following his time beyond regulation game-winner on Saturday. “I discussed this earlier than, I’m not huge about speaking about contract stuff within the media. I’m not going to do it. However that report from Elliotte is fake. I’m not going to speak about my contract stuff with the media. If I used to be to signal a three-year extension, it will be signed. Elliotte is simply incorrect there.”
This seems to be a gripe between Marchand and the media reasonably than any actual rigidity over his contract standing. By all accounts, Marchand and the Bruins appear to have pretty much as good a relationship as doable between participant and workforce and there needs to be no purpose for concern based mostly on these feedback—particularly given Marchand’s level that if an extension had been imminent, it will already be signed.
To Friedman’s credit score, he later addressed this example on 32 Ideas: The Podcast alongside his co-host Kyle Bukauskas.
“He’s the supply,” Friedman mentioned. “There’s no higher supply on this one than Marchand since he’s the man who’s truly going to signal the contract. So if he says at this cut-off date that I’m incorrect or the story is fake…then I simply should eat it. He is aware of the place issues stand.”
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Whereas Friedman deferred to Marchand’s tackle this example, he’d additionally offered some context to reassure Bruins followers that issues weren’t wanting bleak.
Friedman Believes Bruins and Marchand Will Attain a Contract Extension
“I’ll say this, I don’t imagine contract talks have damaged off between the Bruins and Marchand. I don’t assume it is a scenario the place they’ve stopped discussing it or they’re not transferring ahead in makes an attempt to signal an extension, so I’m not involved about that,” Friedman mentioned. “What somebody mentioned to me on Sunday morning was, if you happen to’re going to be incorrect on this one, he thinks I’m going to be incorrect on time period. There’s a risk, he thinks, the Bruins would like two years as an alternative of three, and we’ll see the place we go right here. Long run, I believe that is going to get carried out.”
Although Friedman could not have been proper concerning the phrases of this contract, there are few, if any people on this planet of insiders higher than Friedman at their job. If Friedman seems like this contract will get carried out, and if Marchand has aspirations of remaining with the Bruins, then there actually shouldn’t be any purpose to imagine this received’t get carried out sooner or later.
For Marchand, Saturday was a big recreation that additional etched his identify into Bruins historical past as one of many all-time greats. Together with his time beyond regulation winner, his first objective of the season and first since Sport 4 of the primary spherical of final season’s Stanley Cup Playoffs, Marchand broke a tie with Phil Esposito and claimed third-place all-time for game-winning objectives in Bruins historical past. This was a much-needed objective for the captain and the Bruins are hopeful that this shall be a turning level for No. 63 who underwent three offseason surgical procedures.
Marchand is within the remaining yr of an eight-year contract that paid him $49 million and $6.125 million yearly. Whereas it’s unclear what an extension will appear to be between either side, the 36-year-old ought to signal an extension with the workforce sooner or later to hopefully enable him the chance to retire as a member of the Bruins.
